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H2, The Belly of the Beast

Pam Letsche, November 5, 2017

Editor: Jeff Pekrul

In this issue
H2, The Belly
of the Beast
pages 14

Can You Come to

Palestine for Three
Months or More?
page 2

Nakba Tour
Lets Palestinian

Pam Letsche
Refugees Tell Their
Story
page 5 Children waiting to go through a checkpoint on their way to school

T
Bad News: ISM- he first thing you notice is the smell. as security measures after in 1994 Baruch
NorCal is the
A tart, dung-like odor caused by raw Goldstein entered the Ibrahamini Mosque
Funding Pillar of
sewage rolling down the street outside (one of Islams most holy places) and killed 29
ISM-Palestine
page 6 Checkpoint 56 (56), also known as Gilbert, rolls Palestinians and injured 125 as they prayed.
down the street towards us. A sewage pipe Violent protest broke out. (Baruch Goldstein
The 2017 broke weeks ago and remains unfixed; Israeli was beaten to death by the survivors after the
Meeting of ISM permission required. The people, including the shootings and today many H2 Settlers consider
International elderly and small children, jump over it without him a hero.)
Chapters batting an eye. The 1994 Hebron Protocol also established an
page 6 Welcome to H2, the Israeli controlled section international presence in the form of a group
PalBox of Al Khalil (aka Hebron) established by the called TIPH (Temporary International Presence in
page 7 Hebron Protocol of 1997 which divided the City Hebron). Although proposed to be temporary,
into two sections; H1 includes 80% of Hebrons TIPH is still walking the streets, along with
Call for Volunteers population and is administered by Palestinians EAPPI (Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in
page 8
and H2 which is under Israeli control and Palestine and Israel), CPT (Christian Peacemaker
includes the rest. This division was justified Continued on page 2

L I V E F R O M PA L E S T I N E 1
 Illegal lsraeli settlement
in Al Khalil (Hebron)
Pam Letsche
Teams), and ISM providing presence,
monitoring and documenting the abuses of the
IOF (Israeli Occupation Forces), Israeli police
and border patrols.
The current population of H2 is difficult to
ascertain but is estimated to be between 600-
800 settlers and over 30,000 Palestinians (per
2013 statistics). Many of the original residents
in 1997 have abandoned their homes (they
are prohibited from selling them) due to the
continued harassment and danger in the area.
The current residents remain resolute in their
determination to stay.
H2 borders on the citys casbah, or Old City.
The traditional commercial street of Al Khalil is
Shuhada Street and in 1997, the part of Shuhada
Street which runs one block parallel to the
Casbah was placed in H2. It included the City
Center.
Working with ISM, I do morning school
patrol which means sitting outside
checkpoints or barricades watching and
counting the people going in and out of the
checkpoints. We count men, women, children,
schoolteachers (apparently they dress better
than the other adults and carry briefcases).
Backpack and body searches are noted. Just part
of a normal day for a child in H2.
Children scurry along with friends, heaving
heavy back packs. They naturally go through the
checkpoints including the ones which require
them to wait for a green light, go alone through
an enclosed box, place their backpacks on a table
for search and if lucky, are allowed to proceed
without further intrusion. If you are a teenage

The contrast between the bustling activity of Shuhada Street in H1 and the
quiet, deserted part of the street Ive just left could not be more stark.
male, additional search and delay are common.
Can You Come to Palestine Young boys slam the outside metal door as they
leave; its their only form of rebellion.
for Three Months or More? Working with CPT and EAPPI in order to
The ISM NorCal Team, November 2017 cover as many points as possible, the daily
school counts are then presented to some

I
UN organization. Whether or not anything
SM in Palestine needs you whether you come for three weeks is actually done or accomplished with these
or three years, but it also needs a small, steady number of per- figures remain unclear. A man I know who
sons willing to stay for three months or more. This is for the has been coming here for the past five years
sake of continuity and administration. for three month stints, tells me TIPH is limited
Palestinian coordinators can do a lot of the work, but not all. Per- to merely writing reports about what they
sons with native fluency in English and/or other languages, as well personally witnessed. The reports go to both
as journalistic and technical skills, plus first-hand cultural knowl- a representative in the Israeli and Palestinian
edge of western societies are also important. governments. No action is recommended.
Preference is given to persons with prior experience, but you No accountability is ordered, no follow-up
can also gain the experience after you arrive. If you are willing and demanded from what I am told.
available, ISM NorCal is ready to provide a stipend to cover your After school patrol and being denied
basic expenses while you are there. Please let us know if you are entry back into H2 as I left my passport back
interested. in Nablus and having to walk around the
northern boundary, I finally get back into

2 I N T E R N A T I O N A L S O L I D A R I T Y M O V E M E N T N ort h ern C alifornia

H2 on the northwest side. I walk the streets,
empty but for the passing of a few Israeli cars
heading to Kiryat Arba for shopping, errands or
socialization (Israeli settlers are not allowed in
H1). A few Israeli military vehicles, armored and
armed, create a distinct feeling of being in a war
zone. Allegedly there are over 1,000 IOF (Israeli
Occupation Forces) soldiers providing security
for these 800 settlers.
As I leave H2, the contrast between the
bustling activity of Shuhada Street in H1 and
the quiet, deserted part of the street Ive just left
could not be more stark. Inside once bustling
merchants stalls have been shuttered; windows
stand empty of any signs of humanity; the
only sound coming from the liberally placed
tattered and shiny new Israeli flags, flapping in
the breezes. One can walk from block to block,
soldier patrol to soldier patrol without having
passed or seen another person. The soldiers of
the IOF stand bored and restless; some smile,
others glared. Peace and love one soldier
insincerely says to me, their way of mocking us.
I had the opportunity to speak with several
people, children and adults, both Israeli and
Palestinian during my daily forays into H2. All apply for permission to allow family members Shuhada Street in
the Palestinians said the same thing: life in H2 in advance; however, such requests can easily be bustling in the H1
is difficult; more than difficult; very difficult denied. Islam Fakhouri, a 20-something father section of Al Khalil
life for us; there is no future here for us here. and husband and local tour guide in H1, says no Pam Letsche
When asked what is most difficult part of matter the exact limitations, no family members
living in H2, 13 yr. old Marwa Abu Shamsiya, or friends wish to enter H2 believing it too
the teenage daughter of Imad Abu Shamciya, dangerous. Hence the residents are restricted
a founder of Defense of Human Rights (a to socializing with only other families in their
Palestinian organization which documents the neighborhoods.
ongoing harassment by the IOF and Settlers in H2
where he lives with his family) said everything Settlers would pour liquids into their
but mostly points out the difficulty in not being
able to have extended family and friends visit windows, cut and poison their olive trees,
due to the restrictions established in 2015.
(Due to attacks and alleged attacks by and barricaded their front door entry.
Palestinians in 2015, Israel initiated further
limitations and restrictions to the movement Also, it is very difficult, he tells me for a man
of the residents and those living outside H2. It living in H2 to marry a woman living outside
required all families living in H2 to register and H2 as families of potential partners are hesitant
given a number and only those with a number to allow marriages which would require their
could enter. Ive been told by some, including daughters to move there.
an Israeli soldier, special permission can be I visit Nisreen Azzeh and her lovely family
obtained to allow family members or friends living in Tel Rumeida, the hill above Shuhada
to enter but must be done via an application Street, in H2. She is the wife of notable activist
process and often these requests are denied. Hesham Azzeh, who died two years ago
Despite such restrictions, one long time
resident of H2, Islam Fakhouri, said you can Continued on page 4

L I V E F R O M PA L E S T I N E 3
The Belly of the Beast
Continued from page 3
from complications of inhaling tear gas at a
demonstration in Babal Zwiya, the area in H1
outside 56. After returning home the tear gas
wafted up into their home; Hesham collapsed
and fell into a coma. Men carried Hesham down
to 56 where they waited over 10 minutes for
permission to leave the checkpoint. He died on
Peace and love one soldier insincerely
says to me, their way of mocking us.
the way to the hospital. (After 2015 Palestinian
residents were denied the ability to drive their
cars in H2 forcing them to park outside in H1.
Ambulances going to Palestinian homes must
get special permission to enter resulting in
delays of vital treatment. Here it contributed to
Heshams death.)
Tall, gangly, Yunis Affeh, who looks older than
Shuhada Street is his 14 years, sits and speaks with me quietly; his
desolate in the H2 intelligence notable, his sadness palpable. He
section of Al Khalil was 12 when his father died and is now head of
Pam Letsche the family. His English is good; looking up words
4 I N T E R N A T I O N A L S O L I D A R I T Y M O V E M E N T N ort h ern C alifornia
on his Smartphone when need be. We speak as
we await his mothers return from shopping.
Yunis tells me his backpack is searched every
time he goes in and out of a checkpoint. He had
pepper spray sprayed into his face by an Israeli
boy his same age. When his uncle reports it to
the Israeli police, they claim Yunis had thrown
a rock. He had not. He also relays stories of his
14 year old friend being beaten by 4 IOF soldiers,
settlers attacking Palestinian children on their
way to school and teachers being detained at
checkpoints causing delays or cancellations of
classes.
His mother, Nisreen, returns home out of
breath, hurrying as to not have me wait too
long. She had to walk from the border of H1
hefting heavy bundles, as even taxis carrying
Palestinians are not allowed to enter H2.
We discuss the harassment their family has
had to endure. Settlers would pour liquids into
their windows, cut and poison their olive trees,
barricaded their front door entry requiring the
family to climb a dirt path 50 meters from the
street to their house. The path also requires
them to pass the apartment balcony of Baruck
Marzil, an internationally known leader of the
Settlers, who consistently harasses the family.
After Heshams death, he taunted Nisreen asking
Where is Hesham, Nisreen! Where is your
husband now?
Nisreen is a gentle, intelligent woman who
is steadfast in her determination to remain in
H2 despite its difficulties. At the conclusion of
our talk she tells me I hope all dont forget my
family and the families of all the others.
When i return to Nablus, my home base, after
five days in Al Khalil, I sleep to noon the next
day. My time there was exhausting, emotional,
painful and inspiring. The stress there is
intense and constant. Unlike the Palestinian
residents of Al Khalil, I will not have to live the
experience of occupation tomorrow or the day
after. I have nothing but admiration for their
steadfastness in the face of so much oppression
and indignity.
Pam lives in Marin County. She is a retired lady
looking to fight injustice if even in a small way
and having adventures along the way.
Nakba Tour Lets Palestinian Refugees Tell Their Story
By Sarah Jackson, October 4, 2017

L
ast month at New York Universitys appreciated
Furman Hall, Palestinian refugees Khawla Hammads strength
Hammad and Amena El-Ashkar spoke in recounting such
about their experiences being driven from painful memories.
their homes to refugee camps in neighboring Im in awe of
Lebanon. The discussion was the fourth in their this woman who
two-month In Our Own Words: Voices from the has traveled from
Nakba nationaltour, which includes 14 stops the other side of
along the East Coast and in parts of Canada. the world to here
Hammad has lacked citizenship in any to attempt to tell
country since Zionist para-military groups stories of what
forcibly removed her from her village, el-Kabri, happened in 1947
at just 16. El-Ashkar is a journalist and translator, and 48 and [is] Khawla Hammad,
although her status as a Palestinian refugee continuing until left, and Amena
in Lebanon prohibits her from legally working today, including El-Ashkar, right,
there as a translator. attempts by the speak about their
Besides the legal authorization to hold certain state of Israel to experiences as
jobs in Lebanon, Palestinian refugees also lack not just dispose Palestinian refugees
many of the rights that Lebanons citizens are of Palestinians in the 2017 North
granted. El-Ashkar did not hesitate to address in the land, but America Nakba Tour.
this discrepancy. also to wipe them Sarah Jackson
I was born as a refugee; I dont want to give out completely as
birth to a refugee, she said. refugees in other
Nakba, Arabic for catastrophe, refers to lands, he said. Wave after wave of denial is Some of the
the displacement and ethnic cleansing that what they have to fight to get their voice heard.
took place in Palestine when Jews began to When asked about the significance of the Zionist leaders
immigrate there on the heels of the 1917 Balfour event, audience member Thomas Cox whose
Declaration, the United Kingdoms designation tote bag read I run the #Gaza5K to support used to say,
of Palestine as a national home for Jews, in Palestine refugees was eager to respond.
response to mounting anti-Semitism in Europe. These are stories that we just dont hear a
The elderly
Throughout the hour-long discussion,
Hammad spoke of her life before the Nakba
lot about, Cox said. This is a very important
story because this really gets to the heart of the
will die, and
and of her familys struggle to survive in the problem with the lack of implementation of the the children
outskirts and refugee camps of Lebanon after right of return.
Zionist forces took control of el-Kabri. El-Ashkar later spoke to the mission of the will forget.
We stayed in the wilderness between the tour.
trees; we had no houses, no tents, Hammad said. Some of the Zionist leaders used to say, The We are here to
We were forced to sneak back to Palestine [to] elderly will die, and the children will forget. We
get some food and come back to where we were. are here to refute that, she said. refute that.
But it was Hammads recollection of her Although more than six decades separate
daughters murder that brought tears to many of the 84-year-old Hammad and the 23-year-
the 30 audience members. old El-Ashkar, both women seek the same
When my daughter opened the door, they reparations.
shot 30 bullets into her chest, Hammad said. After 70 years, we want nothing but the right
The soldiers came into the house and started of return, El-Ashkar said.
shooting randomly everybody.
An audience member who asked to remain Sarah Jackson is a journalism major
anonymous because of his Lebanese nationality at NYU in New York City.

L I V E F R O M PA L E S T I N E 5
Bad News: ISM-NorCal is the funding pillar of ISM-Palestine
By The ISM NorCal Team, October 2017
T
he Northern California chapter is
currently providing roughly two-thirds
of the funding of ISM-Palestine. Thats
something to be proud of, but it means two
things: first, that ISM-Palestine is getting less
than half the funds it needs to be effective;
second, that other ISM chapters are very weak
in fundraising.
We dont really consider ourselves terribly
effective in fundraising, but clearly we need to
improve, and even more clearly, we need to help
the other groups improve. Here are some of this
years accomplishments:
By the end of the year we will have sent
more than $7000 to ISM-Palestine and their
nonviolent resistance work.
We have sent $12,000 worth of cameras
and related equipment to two Palestinian
nonviolent resistance groups in Hebron, the
The 2017 Meeting of ISM International Chapters
By The ISM NorCal Team, October 2017
T
his year, the ISM met in Jordan for its
first international meeting in more than
a decade, and its first truly international
meeting ever. (The first was held in London
and was heavily British in attendance, as one
would expect.)
Nine countries, including Palestine, were
represented, with no more than three from
any one country. In that sense, it was a true
representation of the ISM international
community. We agreed that it is worth doing
again, possibly every two years.
Many internal matters were discussed, but
perhaps the biggest benefit to us all was to
get to know and create a network with the
support groups in other countries. Surprisingly,
it has not existed until now. We were able
6 I N T E R N A T I O N A L S O L I D A R I T Y M O V E M E N T N ort h ern C alifornia
leaders of which have been arrested (but
currently released), but continue to train the
population to capture visual proof of Israeli
atrocities. (And no, we cant give some of this
money to ISM-Palestine instead. It was raised
specifically for this purpose, and we always
respect donor wishes.)
We are one of the organizations, along with
al-Awda and the Free Palestine Movement,
organizing the 2017 North America Nakba
Tour, currently concluding its more than 25
successful events in the eastern US and Canada
by the time you read this. (See report on p. 5).
We have bought and resold thousands of
dollars of Palestinian products in the US, to help
the Palestinian economy and raise money to
send volunteers to Palestine. We welcome and
need your help, as local volunteers, volunteers
in Palestine, or as donors (or all three).
to exchange experiences on recruiting,
fundraising, screening and training volunteers
and much more.
The result is that we all came back with
to-do lists coupled with contacts in other
countries that can help us improve the work
of the ISM. ISM-NorCal is planning to work on
our recruitment and outreach program, so that
we can send more sorely needed volunteers
to Palestine, and to assist chapters in other
countries with development of programs
that has been successful. The newsletter that
you are reading, for example, is the only one
published by any of the chapters.
Thank you for your support and we pledge
to keep you informed about our needs and
accomplishments.
Palbox
P
albox is a wonderful way
to support Palestinian
farmers, craftspeople and
the International Solidarity
Movement.
We thought you might like
to take a peek inside
the next Palbox
and discover a
handful oforganic &
handcrafted goodies.
Its the perfect
holiday gift that
supports Palestinian
farmers and artisans!
Get one before the
rush!

www.palbox.org
Donations Needed

A
t our last
meeting, we
decided to bring
Abdelkarim
Dalbeh, an ISM coordinator
in Palestine since 2002, to
the US for a speaking and
recruitment tour. This is the
best way to get new recruits
for the ISM. He will speak
to chapters of Students
for Justice in Palestine at
universities throughout
the country. We will also
show a short film provided
by three filmmakers that
we sponsored to work with
ISM, thanks to your past
donations. This will give ISM
new life in at a time when
our services are needed
more than ever. Please give
generously to enable this
important project, hopefully
in the spring of 2018. Many
thanks to you all.

L I V E F R O M PA L E S T I N E 7
NORCAL ISM
Support Group
405 Vista Heights Rd.
El Cerrito, CA 94530

www.ism-norcal.org
solidarity@ism-norcal.org
510-236-4250

For more information or to register: www.ism-norcal.org/

Call for Volunteers

T
he International Solidarity Movement
(ISM) needs nonviolent resistance
volunteers to stand with Palestinians
against the theft and colonization of Palestinian
land. You will witness and report human
rights violations, participate in nonviolent
demonstrations, resist home demolitions and land
confiscations, accompany children and patients
to school and hospital, remove roadblocks, or just
share time with Palestinians, listen to them, and
help ensure that their voices are heard. When
you return to your community you will be better
equipped to advocate for the freedom and self-
determination of the Palestinian people.

510-236-4250, www.ism-norcal.org or www.palsolidarity.org

Speakers Available
ISM volunteers who have recently returned from Palestine are available to make
presentations to high school and college campuses, churches, organizations and house parties.